Metropolitan wide area network

ABSTRACT

A wide area communication network includes at least two hub sites which are interconnected by a communication backbone. Each hub site provides wireless coverage in at least one sector. At least two remote sites reside in each sectors and are coupled to a corresponding hub site via a point to multi point broadband wireless system. The network preferably includes at least one service node which is accessible to the remote sites via the hub sites and backbone.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/039,258 filed Jan. 20, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,223,726, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/100,563 filed Jun. 19,1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,170, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application, Ser. No. 60/050,252, entitled “MetropolitanArea Network Architecture and Telecommunication System” which was filedon Jun. 19, 1997, now abandoned, the entire contents of each of whichare incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a metropolitan wide area network fortelecommunication systems. In particular, this invention relates to theintegration of a wireless point to multi point system operating in themillimeter microwave radio range with an intelligent metropolitan areabroadband backbone network to enable a variety of enhanced voice,broadband data and multimedia telecommunication services.

2. Description of Related Art

In the art, point-to-point narrow band, point to multi point narrow bandand point to point broadband fixed wireless systems are generally known.Point to multi point radio technology is also a known technology whichhas been generally used for narrowband communications, such as voice.Narrow band systems are typically systems that are capable of generatingat or below 1.544 megabits per second of data in a single circuit orchannel, whereas broadband systems are capable of generating data ratesabove 1.544 megabits per seconds per circuit or channel. Whilenarrowband “point to multi point” systems have been used for voicecommunications, point to multi point systems have not been generallyapplied to broadband telecommunications networks.

Today's narrowband point to multi point systems can aggregate a group ofup to twenty four 64 kilobits per second channels together in what iscalled a “T1line.” However, this T1 line is still considered anarrowband facility when it is used to support multiple voice channels.Narrowband point to multi point systems have also been in use in Europefor voice telephone networks for several years.

Point-to-point broadband technology is also well known. In the 37Gigahertz or “GHz” to 40 GHz range (typically referred to as “38 GHz”),point-to-point broadband wireless systems are in use. When a 38 GHzbroadband wireless links is engineered properly, its performance isfunctionally equivalent to that of fiber optic telecommunications.

Fixed wireless technology is gaining popularity as means fortransmission of telecommunication services because of its low cost,rapid installation and ease of operation. Connecting two sites withpoint-to-point wireless service largely consists of installing roof topantennas on the top of two buildings, with the accompanying indoorequipment. Physical wires do not have to be connected between thebuildings, representing a significant advantage over copper or fibertechnology. Bringing fiber or copper to buildings entails tremendouslabor and other costs associated with digging up streets, obtainingpermits, etc. Because the deployment of broadband fixed wireless systemsdoes not require civil construction in most instances, it is thus fasterand more economical to install than traditional methods of “last mile”interconnection in metropolitan area telecommunications networks.

Current 38 GHz fixed wireless technology has a number of characteristicsthat make it an attractive commercial telecommunications transportmedium. The 38 GHz wireless technology provides a high bandwidth pathfor voice, data, multimedia and video. Current technology permits linkdistances of up to five miles. Since all millimeter microwavepropagation is subject to rainfall degradation, actual distance is afunction of geographical location or “rain region.” In climates whereheavy rainfall is common, shorter link distances may be required toachieve performance and availability equivalent to that of fiber.

Millimeter wave radio propagation at 38 GHz generally requiresunobstructed line-of-sight transmission. In practice, small diameterantennas are mounted on office building rooftops, and in some cases inoffice building windows. These antennas typically range from 12 to 24inches in diameter, although smaller antennas are also in use.Manufacturers indicate mean time between failure (MTBF) statistics inexcess of 10 years for the radio and modem components, indicating thatthe hardware is highly reliable. Current 38 GHz fixed wirelesstechnology is therefore ideally suited for high availability broadbandpoint-to-point commercial voice and data applications ranging from 1.544Megabits per second (T1) to 45 Megabits per second (DS3) capacities.

One example of a typical wireless point-to-point broadband commercialapplication is the interconnection of multiple servers in a campus localarea network (LAN). Another such application is metropolitan wide areanetworking. Here multiple campus LANs within the same city areinterconnected via wireless facilities at 38 GHz. Dedicated access tointer-exchange carriers (IXCs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs) andother alternate access arrangements are common point-to-point businessapplications for 38 GHz wireless links. In the 38 GHz range, cellularand personal communication services (PCS) operators may deploy highavailability wireless facilities in their backbone networks to supportback haul between antenna sites, base stations and mobile telephoneswitching offices (MTSO's). Wireless point-to-point technology at 38 GHzis also being used to provide mission critical protection channels andother point-to-point alternate routing where extension is required froma fiber network to a location that is not served by fiber. Finally,interconnection with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) forthe provision of local dial tone by competitive local exchange carriers(CLECs) utilizing point-to-point wireless technology at 38 GHZ isbecoming increasingly popular.

FIG. 2 illustrates a basic point-to-point wireless facility providingcustomer interconnection to services. This connection will supportbroadband (data, video etc.) and narrowband (voice) applications. Acustomer building is shown as 200 and may contain multiple tenants. Itis connected to another building 202 that houses a telecommunicationsnetwork switch 203. These buildings are connected by a wireless linkbetween two roof top antennas: one antenna 204 at the customer building,the other antenna 205 at the building housing the switch 203. Thebandwidth of this connection could be up to 28 T1 circuits, or DS3 (45Megabits per second). The switch 203 connects to the PSTN 206, or publicswitched telephone network for local service, and to long distancenetworks 207 for long distance service. The switch 203 is also able toprovide dial up access to the Internet 208.

FIG. 3 is a representation of the FCC spectrum allocation plan for 38GHz, consisting of 14 total channels. Each channel is 100 MegaHertz(MHZ) in bandwidth. Each 100 MHZ channel consist of two 50 MHZ subchannels, one sub channel to transmit and the other sub channel toreceive. These two 50 MHZ sub channels are separated by 700 MHZ ofspectrum. As shown in FIG. 3, sub channel 1A is 50 MHZ wide and it is atransmitting channel, whereas sub channel 1B is 50 MHZ wide and it is areceiving channel. Sub channel 1A is separated from sub channel 1B by700 MHz. This band plan yields 14 channels (1400 MHZ or 1.4 GHz) ofspectrum in the FCC allocated 38 to 40 GHz range.

Referring to FIG. 4, a basic spectrum management problem associated withthe use of point-to-point wireless systems in a metropolitan area isshown. Because buildings are close to each other in a metropolitan area,the broadcast of information over wireless links may overlap, making theuse of the same channel (1A/1B) in contiguous systems impossible. Inthis figure, one antenna from one building is transmitting its signal tothe antenna of the intended receiver, but a portion of the signal isalso being received by the antenna on the adjacent building. Such signalcorruption is termed “co-channel interference.”

In FIG. 4, a host building 401 containing a switch 402 is connected viafour rooftop antennas 403A, 403B, 403C and 403D respectively to remotebuildings 404A, 404B, 404C and 404D, each with its own correspondingrooftop antenna. Shown between these buildings is a conceptualrepresentation of the spectrum being utilized by each of thesepoint-to-point wireless systems. As buildings get close together,transmission signals between buildings begin to overlap. To prevent theco-channel interference described in the preceding paragraph, differentchannels must be used to connect buildings that are in close proximity.For instance, channel 1A/1B is used for building 404D and channel. 2A/2Bis used for building 404C. Even though channel 1A/1B partially overlapsthe transmission of 2A/2B, the use of different frequencies (channels)by the two systems provides protection from co-channel interference.Thus the antenna of one building may be transmitting a portion of itssignal to the wrong receiving antenna, but each system is “tuned” to adifferent frequency and transmission from neighboring systems usingother frequencies is ignored.

The frequency management technique shown in FIG. 4 avoids co-channelinterference in wireless networks deployed in dense urban areas, howeverthe use of FCC channels to avoid co-channel interference does notmaximize the information transport capacity of the licensed spectrum andis therefore inefficient. A solution to this problem is needed.

FIG. 5 illustrates an additional spectrum management problem associatedwith point-to-point systems. Building 501 connects to Building 502through channel 1. Building 503 connects to building 504 through channel2. The solid connection lines 505,506 represent the wirelesstransmission that is intended. However, because the “transmit beam” isabout 2 degrees at the source, signals can be received by other systemsthat are not planned but happen to be in the range of the transmit beamof the originating system. The dotted line 507 represents such a case,where the system in building 4 incorrectly receives the transmission ofthe system in building 1. If two distinct frequencies were used, therewould be no co-channel interference. Once again, frequency management inpoint-to-point wireless networks requires the use of multiple channelsto avoid interference rather than allowing the spectrum to be used todrive incremental bandwidth.

Rooftop space is expensive and in many cases there are restrictions onthe number, size and position of antennas deployed on a roof. Becausepoint-to-point systems use separate antennas for each wirelessconnection, space becomes a limiting factor on building rooftops. As thenumber of point-to-point systems located on a building increases, notonly do spectrum management considerations limit the number of systemswhich can be deployed, but the physical space available for each antennaon the roof also constrains the number of systems. Thus, a solution isrequired which permits the expansion of wireless network capacity, andthus the number of users, without a corresponding increase in the numberof antennas rooftops.

Point-to-point systems provide users with what is called a full periodconnection. Full period connections are “always on” (connected andactive), awaiting tile transport of information. Full period wirelessconnections utilize dedicated spectrum which, once assigned, isunavailable to other users. Point-to-point wireless systems aretherefore appropriate for applications involving continuous or lengthytransmissions. Point-to-point systems do not efficiently supportvariable bit rate or “bursty” data services where the requirement forbandwidth is not constant but rather variable. Bandwidth utilized bypoint-to-point systems for variable bit rate applications is wasted, aseach system utilizes the allocated channel on a full time “always on”basis regardless of the amount of information or the duration oftransmissions on the link. A solution is required to more efficientlyutilize spectrum for “bursty” data services like LAN to LAN datatransmission.

It is an object to create a “full featured” local metropolitan areabroadband telecommunications network infrastructure-capable ofsupporting advanced voice and data services.

It is another object to use the wireless spectrum as a key enabler ofaccess to a local metropolitan area broadband telecommunications networkoffering advanced voice and data services.

It is an object to maximize the utilization of allocated spectrumavailable in local metropolitan area broadband telecommunicationsnetworks.

It is an object to overcome the spectrum management limitationsassociated with the use of point-to-point fixed wirelesstelecommunications systems.

It is an object to allow the utilization of multiple channels to driveadditional network capacity in local metropolitan area broadbandtelecommunications networks.

It is an object to minimize the number of wireless telecommunicationsystems required on rooftops to provide access to local metropolitanarea broadband telecommunications networks.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one form of the present network, a wide areacommunication network includes at least two hub sites which areinterconnected by a communication backbone. Each hub site provideswireless coverage in at least one sector. At least two remote sitesreside in each sectors and are coupled to a corresponding hub site via apoint to multi point broadband wireless system. The network preferablyincludes at least one service node which is accessible to the remotesites via the hub sites and backbone.

In accordance with another form of the present network, a broadbandlocal metropolitan area telecommunication network provides fixedbroadband wireless local loop access to a plurality of subscribers. Thesubscribers including a subscriber radio unit operating on a frequencycorresponding to a cell sector in which said subscriber resides. Atleast one of the subscribers has a plurality of associated customerpremise equipment and includes means for performing statisticalmultiplexing among the plurality of customer premise equipment thesubscriber radio unit. The network includes a plurality hub sites whichare interconnected by a Sonet based back bone. The hub sites include aplurality of hub site radio units which operate on a selectablefrequency with at least one radio unit corresponding to a cell sector.The hub sites further include means for dynamically allocatingcommunication bandwidth among a plurality of subscribers within eachsaid cell sector. The network preferably includes a plurality of valueadded service nodes which are coupled to the backbone and are accessibleto subscribers through the hub sites and backbone. The network furtherincludes a central operations node which is connected to each of saidhub sites by a control network and provides remote access and control ofthe hub sites as well as remote control subscriber access to the valueadded service nodes.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the present networkembodiments will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a local metropolitan areabroadband telecommunications network utilizing fixed wirelesspoint-to-point systems operating at 38 GHz to provide customer access toa local metropolitan area broadband telecommunications network.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a typical point-to-pointsystem configuration known in the art for providing customer access totelecommunications services via a switch.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a spectrum allocation planfor 38 GHz, with 100 MHZ channels divided into 50 MHZ subchannels forthe transmission and reception of signals, wherein each transmit andreceive subchannel is separated by 700 MHZ of spectrum.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a point-to-point fixedwireless systems deployed in a hubbed network configuration inaccordance with the prior art in which there is a one to onerelationship between hub and customer building wireless systems. Areasof overlap illustrate a co-channel interference phenomenon encounteredin point-to-point fixed wireless networks.

FIG. 5 is a diagram which illustrates another co-channel interferencephenomenon encountered in point-to-point fixed wireless systems of theprior art.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a fixed wireless point to multi pointimplementation in which there exists a one to many relationship betweenhub and customer systems within a sector employed in the present system.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram further illustrating the hub of FIG. 6A asused in the present network.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the present local metropolitan areabroadband telecommunications network utilizing point to multi pointfixed wireless technology operating at 38 GHZ to provide customer accessto a backbone network and various telecommunications services.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment subscriber system used in thepresent system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 1. Network Topology

The present network utilizes a fixed wireless microwave scheme whichallows a many to one relationship between hub systems and remote systemslocated in customer buildings. This technology, termed “multiple access”or “point to multi point,” can support traditional voice and datatelephony services as well as commercial and residential broadbandmultimedia services by combining improvements in spectrum efficiency(and thus available bandwidth) with enhanced intelligence in themetropolitan wide area network.

FIG. 6A illustrates a point to multi point system, characterized by a“one to many” relationship between hub and customer building radiosystems. In FIG. 6A, a hub site 601 is equipped with antennas 602, 603and 604. Antenna 602 transmits to a “sector” 605, which covers thephysical space occupied by multiple subscriber buildings 606, 607, 608and 609.

Antennas on buildings 606, 607, 608 and 609 in sector 605 allcommunicate with the single hub antenna 602 of sector 605. Sectors canbe from 15 to 90 degrees wide. All of the buildings in a sectorgenerally utilize a single channel, so co-channel interference is nolonger an issue for buildings within the same sector.

To prevent co-channel interference at the edges of sectors, the hub site601 assigns frequencies to adjacent sectors which are substantiallyseparated from each other. For example, sector 602 may be assignedchannel 1A/1B and sector 604 then assigned channel 2A/2B. Thus point tomulti point systems permit full utilization of each channel assignedwithin a sector to transport information, in contrast to the spectrummanagement requirements of point-to-point systems which require theutilization of multiple channels in the same geographical area merely toavoid co-channel interference.

FIG. 6B illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a hub site 601 for use inthe present network. Antennas 602, 603 . . . 60 n, correspond tofrequency channels. Generally, one frequency channel is assigned to acorresponding cell sector 605. However, in cases where additionalbandwidth is required, the present network provides for the assignmentof multiple channels to one or more cell sectors. Each antennapreferably includes a corresponding hub radio unit 620. To avoid signallosses associated with coaxial lines and waveguides at 38 GHZ, the hubradio units are preferably coupled to a corresponding antenna as anintegral unit which is mounted on a roof top or tower.

The hub site also includes hub indoor units 622 which are coupled to thehub radio units 620 via an interfacility link 624. The interfacilitylink 624 is a wide band connection, preferably taking the form of afiber connection. The Hub IDU's are connected to one or more hubcontrollers 626 which manage the operation and data transfer within thehub site 601. A backbone interface 628 is included to enable connectionand data transfer with a network backbone.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the present network in a commercialmetropolitan area network utilizing 38 GHz multiple access wirelesstechnology. The network includes a broadband backbone 702, which can beimplemented using fiber, copper or wireless technology.

The large squares located on the ring represent point to multi pointhubs 704, each covering at least one cell sector 706. In a commercialurban environment, cell sectors 706 are deployed such that bandwidth isdirected toward geographic locations with appropriate building(customer) density. Once on the backbone 702, customer traffic is routedto any number of network nodes providing value added services. Examplesof such service nodes are local exchange carrier switches 706,inter-exchange carrier switches 708 and Internet access points 710 andvideo service points 712. The present network also includes at least onecentral operations node 713 which is connected to each of the hubs 704through a control network 715, such as a frame relay network.

The architecture of the 38 GHz point to multi point wireless networkgenerally consists of cells 714 with a 3-5 mile diameter (1.5-3 milelink distances). Each cell 714 consists of a number of sectors 706-1,706-2, . . . , 706-n, ranging in sector width from 15 to 90 degrees. Ahub 704 is located in the center of each cell, and multiple remotesubscriber systems (subscribers) 716 located in customer buildingswithin a sector communicate with hub radio equipment to establishwireless links. Bandwidth within a given sector is allocated among theremote subscriber systems provisioned in that sector by thecorresponding hub 704. A sector may utilize the full bandwidth of asingle licensed channel, or multiple channels can be “stacked” in asector to meet overall customer demand for bandwidth. When multiplechannels are employed an additional hub radio unit 620 and antenna forthat sector are added to the hub 704.

The assignment of the optimum sector width is a nontrivial problem. Onedesign objective is to minimize the cost of the required EffectiveRadiated Power (ERP). Narrow sectors yield higher antenna gain, so lesspower is needed to achieve a given ERP. However each sector requires itsown radio system, so narrow sectors increase the equipment cost requiredto cover a given geographical area. In the final analysis, hub design isa function of overall customer demand for capacity and the geographicaldistribution of customer locations.

Preferably, in the present point to multi point metropolitan areanetwork, hubs 704 are interconnected on the backbone 702 by fiber orhigh capacity microwave radio facilities in a SONET ring configuration.Service nodes such as Inter exchange Carriers 708, Internet ServiceProviders 710, Local PSTN switches 706 and video sources 712 arcinterconnected to the fiber ring, in some cases via co-location with thehubs. Thus, once customers are connected via wireless access links tothe network, any and all services supported by the various service nodeswill be accessible.

This network approach requires a transport and routing capability on thebackbone to facilitate connections between multiple customer locationsand between customer locations and network service nodes. AsynchronousTransfer Mode (ATM) is the preferred transport layer protocol for thepresent metropolitan area network architecture. It is also envisionedthat more traditional connection-oriented or synchronous telephonytransport protocols will be utilized as operators transition to full ATMnetworks over time. For this reason, both ATM (OC-3c) and STM (DS-3)interfaces are preferably included between hubs 704 and the backbone702.

2. Wireless ATM

This network architecture utilizes Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) asprimary means of transport in the network. ATM is a packetizedtransmission technology which organizes information into cells. Thecells have a “header” and a “payload”. The header describes what kind ofdata is in the payload and where the data is to terminate. The cellspropagate through the network via diverse paths and can arrive out ofsequence at the point of termination. Header information contained inthe cells permits reconstruction of the correct cell sequence prior todelivery to the customer premise equipment. ATM cells can transport manystandard telecommunications voice, data and video services byencapsulating the data in the payload. Thus, ATM is capable ofintegrating voice, data and video in a single telecommunicationstransport network.

A key architectural element of the present network is the use of ATM inthe point to multi point system wireless transport (air interface).Customer specific services (Ethernet, Frame Relay, DS-1, DS-3, ISDN,Voice) are encapsulated in the ATM payload between subscribers 716 andhub 704. Thus services which are most efficiently handled by acell-based protocol benefit from end-to end ATM transport in thenetwork, while services which for the time being must be channelized onthe backbone are time division multiplexed at the hub 704. In eithercase, the transport of all services via ATM over the air enablesimportant bandwidth on demand functionality in the network.

3. Modulation and System Capacity

Wireless equipment utilizing modulation techniques such as QPSK and4FSK, yield an effective data rate of one bit per Hertz per second. As38 GHZ spectrum is allocated in 50 MHZ full duplex channels (that is, 50MHZ of spectrum in each direction for a total of 100 MHZ per licensedchannel), the maximum point-to-point data rate of today's fixed wirelesstechnology is 45 Mb/s, or DS-3. Higher order modulation techniques suchas 16 QAM and 64 QAM, along with improvements in overall system gainwill yield data rates of 4-5 bits per Hz per second or more. Thistranslates to a significant increase in available bandwidth per channel.Thus data rates of OC-3 (155 Mb/s) per channel per sector and higher areattainable at 38 GHZ. Spectrum efficiencies in the range of 6-8 bits perHz per second are expected. Multi sector, multi channel cells supportingoverall data rates of several gigabits per second of available bandwidthare readily achievable based on relatively conservative engineering.Less conservative designs will yield higher cell capacities.

4. Bandwidth on Demand

Because data is encapsulated into cells for transport by the wirelessnetwork, it is possible to utilize radio spectrum more efficiently thanwould otherwise be possible in non-ATM wireless implementations. This isthe result of a technique called “statistical multiplexing.” Statisticalmultiplexing takes advantage of the random origination of datatransmission in a system and the fact that all users do not requirebandwidth at all times. Statistical multiplexing allows cells containingdata originated by different users to be transported by the minimumrequired spectrum. In this sense, users share the allocated spectrum ina wireless ATM network, and the aggregate bandwidth requirement of allusers in the system is served by the spectrum that is available withinthe system at any given moment in time.

This results in “statistical gain” in data capacity which allowstelecommunications network operators to “oversubscribe” wireless linksbased on the assumption that all users in a given subscriber location(e.g. multi-tenant office building) will not require all capacityallocated to that location at all times. Over subscription rates(statistical gain) as high as 10 to one (10:1) are possible for links onwhich the majority of the information is transported in short bursts(“bursty data”) as in the case of LAN-LAN communications. Statisticalgains of 2:1 or 3:1 are more typical of networks in which the mixture oftraffic is more heavily skewed toward voice or other services requiringpoint-to-point connections through the network (circuit) for theduration of the communication session.

ATM cell headers also contain parameters which allow individual cells tobe prioritized. Thus cells with the highest priority are transportedacross the network instantly, while cells with lower priorities may bedelayed until the higher priority cells have been switched. Thisattribute of ATM permits the support of services with varying “Qualityof Service”, or QOS. When this priority system is used in conjunctionwith statistical multiplexing, it allows information to be transportedover wireless networks very efficiently. For instance a large file canbe broken into cells and transmitted over the network with other cellsof smaller files interspersed in the packet stream. Thus, the smallfiles do not have to wait for the large file transmission to becompleted, and the network operates more efficiently overall.

Dynamic bandwidth allocation between subscribers 716 within a givensector 706. Thus, momentary requirements for high bit rate bursts to agiven subscribers 716 are met by utilizing bandwidth within the sector706 not in use by other subscribers at the time. This is accomplishedvia variable on-demand assignment of time slots (Time Division MultipleAccess or TDMA) or frequencies (Frequency Division Multiple Access orFDMA) to subscribers, or through a combination of both multiplexingtechniques (Demand Assigned Multiple Access or DAMA).

When these techniques to dynamically allocate bandwidth betweenbuildings in a sector are combined with ATM statistical multiplexing(over subscription) of bandwidth allocated to customers withinindividual buildings, the result is a tremendous increase in theinformation transport capacity of wireless spectrum utilized in networksof the present invention. Capacity is further increased with the use ofhighly efficient modulation schemes such as 16 QAM and 64 QAM.

5. Hubbing Architecture

The present system utilizes a deployment strategy known as “hubbing”,which concentrates one end of many wireless links on a single buildingrooftop or “hub”. Each hub 704 can connect to many remote radio systems716 using wireless links. Hubs 704 in a metropolitan area may beinterconnected in a ring, mesh or other backbone network topology viawireless, fiber, or other high capacity telecommunication facilities.Hubs 704 are equipped with ATM switching or TDM multiplex equipment tobridge wireless links across the backbone 702 to establish connectionsbetween subscribers or to connect subscribers to other locations on thenetwork to access services. Via hubbing, networking is employed tosignificantly increase the effective range of wireless access links aswell as to provide access to a variety of voice, data and multimediaservices.

The present hubbing architecture is applicable to both point-to-pointand point to multipoint fixed wireless systems. In a point-to-pointwireless system, each hub supports one antenna for each link it connectsto the backbone network. Therefore, rooftop space imposes a limitationon the number of antennas (and thus links to the network) that can besupported by a single hub using point-to-point fixed wireless systems.FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the network architecture employing38 GHz point-to-point wireless telecommunications systems in which thewireless facilities connect customer locations to a metropolitan areabackbone network. This system employs a point-to-point system, in whichcommunication occurs between a hub 100 and specific buildings 102 orcampuses 104. The backbone network consists of high capacitytelecommunications transport facilities 106 connecting the hubs in aring configuration, with each hub connecting to individual buildings orcampus locations over a “last mile” wireless connection.

In point to multipoint fixed wireless systems, a smaller number of hubantennas provides connections to customer buildings in a sector varyingbetween 15 and 90 degrees and containing many customer buildings. Ineither case, the hubbing architecture provides efficient access to anetwork backbone thereby enabling communication between subscribers andallowing subscriber access to value added services attached to thenetwork.

6. Remote Subscriber Systems Equipment and Services Support

In the present system, a subscribers 716 can take the form of a singlecustomer, a multi-user system in a building or even a campus ofcustomers. FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a subscriber system foruse with a multi-user system in a building.

Referring to FIG. 8, antennas 802 are integrated with radio transceiversin compact sealed outdoor units (ODU) 804 for installation on buildingrooftops. The ODU's are preferably secured by standard 4 inch polemounts for rapid, low cost installation and non-obtrusiveness. Outdoorunits 804 are connected to indoor units (IDU) 806 typically located incommon space within a building via an inter-facility link (IFL) 808consisting of either coaxial cable or fiber.

Utilizing fiber in the IFL 808 provides significant benefit ininstallations where in-building conduit is already tightly packed withtelecommunications facilities and little room exists to pull new cable.This is a commonly encountered installation problem. Because fiber ismuch thinner than coaxial cable, it is much more readily pulled throughexisting building conduit than coaxial cable, making the job ofinstallation much faster and less costly than would otherwise be thecase.

Another advantage of using fiber in the IFL 808 has to do with signalloss between the IDU 806 and the ODU 804. Physical properties of coaxialcable limit signal propagation to less than 1000 feet in most cases.This places a limitation on the separation between the ODU 804 and theIDU 806 in a building. Since the common space provided fortelecommunications equipment (including the IDU) in most commercialoffice buildings is located in the basement and the ODU 804 isroof-mounted, this poses a problem for installations in larger buildingsof 15 floors or more. Fiber optic cable poses no such distancelimitation, between the IDU 806 and the ODU 804. Thus installations arenot hampered by the location of common space for telecommunicationsequipment in buildings.

Indoor units 806 are used to interface with customer premises equipment(CPE) 810. A preferred embodiment of the indoor unit includes a chassiswith slots for receiving service specific line cards 812. Line cards 812are physically inserted in the chassis when customers are installed, andare activated via software commands from a centralized networkoperations center. Line cards 812 are provisioned to support specifictelecommunications services (DS-1, DS-3, ISDN, Frame Relay, Ethernet,Token Ring, ATM, etc.) The line cards 812 in turn connect to a backplanefor protocol conversion to ATM for transmissions to the hub, and fromATM to service specific protocols for transmissions from the hub. Achassis can preferably support 10-20 line cards 812, each of which mayprovide multiple ports for interconnection with CPE. For example, atypical DS-1 line card permits the connection of 4 DS-1 lines(4.times.DS-1) per card. Line cards are inexpensive, thus theincremental cost to add customers to the network once the basic remotesystem equipment is in place in a building is quite low. Once installed,services provided by the line card 812 can be locally enabled, orpreferably, remotely enabled by commands generated by the centraloperations node 713 (FIG. 7) which are transported over the network.

In this way, indoor units scale to cost effectively meet the demand fortelecommunications services. Most small to mid-sized commercial officebuildings can be supported by the 10-20 card chassis described above. Invery large buildings, two or more IDUs can be interconnected in “daisychain” fashion to expand the number of service interfaces available; andinstalled on different floors where common space and main distributionframes may be located to serve customers. The present invention alsoprovides for very small, low cost indoor units with fixed serviceinterfaces to serve Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and residentialcustomers. Rather than employing a chassis and backplane architecture,these small IDU's are fully integrated sealed units manufactured at lowcost to support a predefined set of services. An example of a low-endIDU of this sort would provide interfaces for multiple 64 KB/s voicelines and an ISDN or Ethernet port for connection to a remote officeLAN.

7. Operational Considerations

In addition to improved spectrum efficiencies and resulting bandwidthincreases, significant operational and equipment costs savings areachievable with point to multi point radio technology at 38 GHz.Operational complexities are eliminated by replacing multiple antennason a hub roof top with one or more point to multi point hub antennas,and installation costs are likewise reduced. Once a hub 704 isinstalled, adding customers to the network becomes a matter ofinstalling subscriber systems 716 in customer buildings within a coveredsection 706. This is in contrast to the requirement to engineer andinstall equipment supporting two ends of every link as in the case oftoday's point-to-point 38 GHz wireless technology.

Also, service provisioning and configuration changes are manageableremotely via software definable service attributes downloaded throughthe network to subscriber systems located in customer buildings.Services are provisioned, monitored, modified and controlled from acentral Network Operations Center by technicians with appropriateauthorization. System software enables “see through” provisioning ofservices from the hub to the end-user service interface card in theremote subscriber system.

8. Services

The present network can support any and all services supportable by wireline telecommunications technologies. These services include two broadlydefined categories: traditional telecommunications services and emergingbroadband multimedia services.

Traditional telecommunications services for the commercial marketinclude; (1) voice grade local and long distance services, (2)point-to-point dedicated facilities at DS-1, n.times.DS-1 and DS-3speeds for voice and data, (3) switched data services such as switched56 Kb/s and Frame Relay, and (4) high capacity point-to-point datafacilities, operating at OC-3 speeds and above.

Emerging broadband multimedia services supported by the present networkinclude high speed Internet access, web hosting and informationservices, native LAN-LAN services such as Ethernet and Token Ring, andvideo services such as desktop video conferencing, business relatedcommercial video programming, and on-demand video training (distancelearning). Wireless customer access links to the network are provisionedat virtually any data rate to meet the bandwidth requirements of suchservices.

Residential customers arc provided services which include a subset ofthe above for telecommuting and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO)applications. A package of services for these customers may includelocal and long distance telephone service, high speed Internet accessfor information services and e-mail, and selectable video programming.Access to the network can be provisioned at any speed for residentialcustomers as well.

ATM Quality of Service (QOS) parameters can be used to support usagebased broadband multimedia data services. For example, a customer cansubscribe to a 2 megabit Committed Information Rate (CIR) connection tothe network. The overhead in this customer's ATM cells would guarantee 2megabits of actual throughput each and every time the customer requiredthis amount of bandwidth on the network. When the 2 megabits of networkcapacity (spectrum in a point to multipoint fixed wireless accessnetwork) is not in use by the customer, it is available for othertransmissions on the network.

ATM QOS parameters can be used to provide varying levels of throughputon the network allowing network operators to establish pricing tocoincide with these levels of throughput. For voice services which areparticularly intolerant to the delays inherent in non-sequential celltransport. Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVC's)-guarantee immediatethroughput at predefined data rates. PVC's utilize constant fixedbandwidth in the network each time there is a request for service. Eventhough the delays associated with the re-sequencing of cells aremeasured in milliseconds, the accumulated effect of such delays can bedetected by the human ear. PVC's overcome this problem in ATM networksby effectively establishing an end-to-end path through the network overwhich cells are sent sequentially. In essence, a PVC is a circuitswitched connection through an ATM network. In fixed wireless point tomultipoint networks, bandwidth is allocated on a full time basis betweenthe subscriber system and the hub for the duration of the voice call.

Other ATM-based services are provisioned using Switched Virtual Circuits(SVC's) which allocate bandwidth to user transmissions according to ahierarchical priority scheme ranging from guaranteed data throughputrates to transport of data on a “capacity available” basis. SVC's mosteffectively support variable bit rate (bursty) data services such as LANcommunications, with QOS parameters employed to manage throughput inrelation to the criticality of the data and the cost of the service tothe customer.

In the present network, event data is collected and stored on the systemfor billing based on the type of service provided to the customer.Billing for data services can take into account the time of day theservice was provided, the network resources utilized by the customer(e.g., peak data rates, sustained data rates, number of packets/bytestransferred), Quality of Service provided, number of packets dropped dueto congestion or other network transmission errors, and other factorsnot typically considered in billing algorithms for traditionaltelecommunications services. For voice services, billing data iscollected from in traditional Call Detail Record (CDR) format by theswitch equipment deployed in the network.

The point-to-multipoint broadband metropolitan area network of thepresent invention will support a broad range of future business andpersonal telecommunications services such as vehicular data applicationsusing on-board computer systems that integrate city and highway roadmaps with global positioning data and local traffic information.Collision avoidance radar is another suitable vehicular application.Additionally point-to-multipoint networks can support a host of personalcomputing applications with wireless broadband connectivity, includingpersonal digital assistants, hand-held Web terminals and campus-widemobile LANs.

While the present system has been described with respect to thepreferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various modifications in form and detail may be made thereinwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.Accordingly, modifications such as those suggested above, but notlimited thereto, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

1. A wide area communication network comprising: at least two hub sites,said hub sites being interconnected by a communication backbone, eachsaid hub site providing coverage in at least one sector; at least tworemote sites corresponding to each of said sectors; and a point-to-multipoint broadband wireless system, said at least two remote sites beingcoupled to a corresponding hub site through said point-to-multi pointbroadband wireless system, wherein said point-to-multi point broad bandwireless system at each said hub site comprises: a first radio unitoperating on a first selectable frequency and providing coverage in afirst sector; a second radio unit operating on a second selectablefrequency and providing coverage in a second sector, said second sectorbeing substantially adjacent to said first sector; and a frequencyselector to select said first selectable frequency and said secondselectable frequency from a plurality of available frequencies such thatsaid first and second selectable frequencies are substantially separatedthereby minimizing co-channel interference.
 2. A wide area communicationnetwork according to claim 1, further comprising at least one servicenode, said service node being operatively coupled to at least one ofsaid hub sites.
 3. A wide area communication network according to claim2, wherein said at least one service node includes at least one of anInternet service node service, a long distance telephony service node, alocal telephony service node, and a video service node.
 4. A wide areacommunication network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of saidat least two remote sites comprise: an outdoor unit, said outdoor unitincluding a radio transceiver operatively coupled to an antenna; aplurality of indoor units, said indoor units being operatively coupledto a plurality of customer premises equipment; and an interfacilitylink, said interfacility link coupling said outdoor unit to saidplurality of indoor units, whereby said radio transceiver supports aplurality of said customer premises equipment.
 5. A wide areacommunication network according to claim 4, further comprising astatistical multiplexing device configured to use said radio unit amongsaid plurality of customer premises equipment.
 6. A wide areacommunication network according to claim 4, wherein said indoor unitscomprise: a chassis, said chassis having a receiver for a plurality ofline cards; and a line card, said line card providing a service specificinterface between said chassis and a customer premise equipment.
 7. Awide area communication network according to claim 6, wherein said linecard can support an additional indoor unit in a daisy chainconfiguration.
 8. A wide area communication network according to claim4, wherein said interfacility link is a fiber link.
 9. A wide areacommunication network according to claim 4, wherein said remote site islocated at a multi story dwelling and an indoor unit is installed on aplurality of floors of the dwelling.
 10. A wide area communicationnetwork according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least tworemote sites comprise an integrated unit providing selected services tocustomer premise equipment.
 11. (canceled)
 12. A wide area communicationnetwork according to claim 1, further comprising at least a third radiounit operating on a third selectable frequency, said third radio unitproviding further coverage in one of said first and second sectors, saidfrequency selector being further configured to select said thirdselectable frequency such that said first, second and third selectablefrequencies are substantially different.
 13. A wide area communicationnetwork according to claim 1, wherein said hub site includes a pluralityof adjacent and non-adjacent sectors and wherein said frequency selectorbeing configured to reuse said available frequencies on saidnon-adjacent sectors.
 14. A wide area communication network according toclaim 1, wherein said communication backbone and said broad bandwireless system each support a packet based data transfer protocol. 15.A wide area communication network according to claim 14, wherein saidpacket based transfer protocol is Asynchronous Transfer Mode.
 16. A widearea communication network according to claim 14, wherein said packetbased transfer protocol for backbone to hub site communication includesboth Asynchronous Transfer Mode and Synchronous Transfer Mode.
 17. Awide area communication network according to claim 16, wherein saidpackets are ATM packets including a header portion and a payloadportion, said header portion including a quality of service parameterand wherein said network further comprises a system bandwidth allocatorconfigured to allocate bandwidth based on said quality of serviceparameter.
 18. A wide area communication network according to claim 1,wherein each of said at least two hub sites is configured to dynamicallyallocate communication bandwidth among the at least two remote sites ineach sector combined with Asynchronous Transfer Mode statisticalmultiplexing of communication bandwidth allocated to users within eachremote site.